Combination envelopes that can carry an item from a sender to a recipient and back to the sender, are used in several business contexts. For example, in the context of invoicing and payment, multiple-folded envelopes have been used in which an invoice is affixed by a perforation to a reply envelope. The invoice is folded over and sealed to form a closed sending envelope and an adhesive strip is provided adjacent to the reply envelope. When the customer receives such an envelope or “piece,” the customer opens the piece, detaches the invoice, inserts a check for payment in the reply envelope, affixes the adhesive strip, and dispatches the sealed envelope in the mail.
The development of the Digital Versatile Disc (“DVD”) as a medium for carrying digital movie and video information has led to a new rental business models that use postal mail for media transport. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,584,450, Method and Apparatus for Renting items, describes a DVD rental service in which a subscriber establishes an online “pick list” of DVD movies that the subscriber wishes to rent. When a selected one of the DVD movies on the pick list becomes available in inventory, the service mails the selected DVD movie to the subscriber. The subscriber views the DVD and returns it to service by mail. When the DVD is received by the service, the subscriber is entitled to receive another available DVD from the pick list.
In this context, however, problems can be encountered as the DVD passes through the postal delivery system. The packaging used to convey the DVD from the service to the customer passes through the high-speed automatic sorting equipment at postal facilities. Further, the packaging used to convey the DVD from the customer to the service passes through high-speed automatic cancellation equipment at postal facilities, during which a postal cancellation mark is applied to the packaging. Because DVD's are manufactured from relatively brittle plastic material, and because the cancellation marks are applied with considerable force, a percentage of DVD's passing through the postal system in this manner are subject to damage, breakage or mutilation. In some cases, the mailer known in the art may not be compatible with automated postal facility equipment. This incompatibility generates additional problems because delays in delivery occur as a consequence of the extra time required to sort the mailers manually.
Another problem relating to two way mailers concerns convenience. Customers of rental approaches, such as the DVD approach described above, demand convenience. When an item is sent to the customer, the customer expects to receive some form of postpaid return packaging with the item. Sending the return packaging separately is not practical or convenient. Accordingly, in this field there is a need for a packaging system in which a sending package and a return package are provided concurrently. Furthermore, customers need a two way mailer with an easy use design. Problems arise when the insertion of the media is too time consuming or difficult for the consumer. Customers require a quick and reliable turn-around time for receipt and return of items.
In the conventional service, much of the work in receiving returned DVD's and sending out new DVD's to customers is done manually. For example, an envelope containing a returned DVD is opened by hand by workers employed by the service. The worker manually scans a code on the DVD packaging to identify the returned DVD and the customer. Some of the returned DVD's will be returned to inventory, however many of the returned DVD's will need to be sent to other customers. The returned DVD's are then manually processed again to determine which are need to be resent to customers, and which should be kept for internal storage or processing. Finally, outgoing DVD's are manually inserted into conventional mailers to be placed for outgoing delivery with the postal or delivery service. To maintain customer satisfaction, rapid processing of these incoming and outgoing DVD's is critical. The extensive manual processing of returned and outgoing DVD's can be time that makes quick and reliable turn-around more difficult.
Based on the foregoing, there is a need for a way to package a fragile or breakable item for transport in the postal system from one party to another in a manner that allows for running through automated equipment and that protects the item from damage, breakage or mutilation. The solution should provide convenience to customers of rental media. Also, the solution should include features to enhance speed and productivity in processing incoming and outgoing digital media at a media handling facility.
Others have tried to solve the problem by including laminated leading edges of a thickness great enough to ensure the postal cancellation equipment does not come into direct contact with the pocket carrying the breakable object. In these mailers, the DVD is close to the leading edge when the mailer is sent from the sender and close to the trailing edge when the mailer is sent from the recipient. However, the added dimensions of the laminated leading edge results in mailers unable to meet the postal services regulations for first class automatable letters. Because the two way mailers known in the art do not meet first class automatable letters standards, they face an increased postal charge of up to 20%. Furthermore, if mailers are not sent via first class, delivery of the mailer may be delayed. These delays in delivery can be problematic in competitive markets, as customers generally demand quick turn around and on-time delivery from companies renting products such as DVD's. Currently, in the United States Postal Service requires that mailers have a maximum height of 6⅛ inches, maximum length of 11½ inches and maximum thickness of ¼ inch in order to qualify for first class automation discounts. The cutoff weight for the most favorable rate for the first class automatable delivery is 1 ounce or less.
With the large cost discrepancies between types of two way mailers, the cost of the postage that is incurred by providing customers with the convenience of a return envelope in a rental approach is a major concern to businesses. The average weight of an item such as a DVD in a protective sleeve is approximately 0.58 ounces. On one level, favorable postage rates are achieved when the total weight of the DVD, its protective sleeve, a sending package, and a return package are equal to or less than one once. Thus, there is a need for a packaging approach that solves all the foregoing problems and continues to have an average weight of one once or less that passes the United States Postal Services requirements for the most favorable rate for first class automatable mail.
Some of the issues described above have been addressed in a co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/937,108, Two-Way Electronic Media Mailer, filed Sep. 9, 2004, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.